Bayfield Groups Amalgamate To Promote New Recreation Facility

About 130 people packed the Bayfield Town Hall Tuesday night to fight for ice in the Bayfield Arena.

The first thing they were told was that the Bayfield Facility Initiative Team and the Bayfield Arena Community Partners Association have amalgamated.

BFIT spokesperson Sandy Scotchmer says there was a misconception among some people in the village the two organizations were competing against each other, when in fact they were both fighting for the same goal — a new complex, with ice for the village of Bayfield.

Scotchmer also says what they’re proposing is a privately-funded, privately-operated, user-pay facility that would relieve the municipality of any expense or responsibility. However, she says to accomplish this, the municipality leave the ice in the current arena for three more years while they get their plan together with the details all worked out.

She points out if the ice is remove for three years or longer it will be very difficult to get people to come back.

The Municipality of Bluewater has not responded to that request.

The president of the Bayfield Optimist Club also announced at Tuesday night’s meeting that his club was solidly behind the project and will do whatever they can to support it.

“It will be a privately-funded, privately-operated facility and we want it to be multi-generational. We want the opportunity for ice for our children here in Bayfield, we want youth programs, we want gym facilities, we want people to come to Bayfield to enjoy our facility,” says Scotchmer. “We know the age of this particular building, but we need that time to actually create plans, to cost our plans and to put things into effect.”

Drawing of second floor of proposed new Bayfield Complex (photo by Bob Montgomery)